Federation Rally

[David Wade]

All safely back and at last unpacked from this years Federation Rally.

Excellent weekend - a surprise for London! Hell of a journey down, 5 miles on the Edgeware Road and straight into the West End. However, excellent hotel and good venue, Cowper Street Boy's School - famous for being Ronnie Scott's alma mater. We missed the Friday night  concert but the reports of Gaio de Lima's band sounded great. Superb range of workshop's on Saturday including Elias' Classic Banjo which was well received. We were running the Clifford Essex stall so were down in the basement. We got let out to play the ceilidh which finished the night off after the AGM and meal (not bad for a big hotel but......£4.65 a pint was the killer!).

The two importent contests on Sunday were the George A Keeler Memorial Trophy and the David Miles Memorial Cup. Russ Chandler won the Keeler Cup with a cracking version of  Darkies Chuckle under it's pc title - Adagio - Andante Russ and keep those semi-quavers dotted!

Brian Dingley  won the David Miles' Cup with a great rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow - well done mate.

Bernard Collard did some nice place with a good choice of pieces and came second in both.

Steady away on the stall - Morley Magic the two book plus CD going down very well.

Long drive home!

[Richard William Ineson]

Well done Dave, it's always difficult for northerners to go to THAT LONDON so you did well, I couldn't face the trip. Interesting news about the rally, congratulations to the cup winners, I look forward to our little, more accessible, get togethers later this year. Good to hear that Elias is still getting about, not heard from him personally, for some time.